The Riddle of Discordance
by The Shadow's Requiem
Summary: "Riddle me this! What is at the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, at the beginning of every end, and is at the end of every place?"
1. A Night in the Church

**AN: I decided to start a new story. Hope you like it :) **

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><p><span><strong>The Riddle of Discordance<strong>

**Chapter 1: A Night in the Church**

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><p>A scream resounded throughout the church as I struggled against my binds. Tears threatened to escape from my eyes but I refused to let them out. There were too many plans for these people, I wouldn't let them see my weak side.<p>

_"The bullet is out now. We're going to start stitching you up now."_I heard one of the doctors say.

All I could manage was a pitiful whimper.

How on earth did I end up like this? It wasn't usually like this. **I** wasn't always like this. How could the plan have gone so wrong? My vision started going dark as I tried to make a noise. Any sound to let them know they were losing me. All I was rewarded with was a low guttural moan of pain escaping my throat.

_"Sir, Ms. Watson is going dark!"_ a man yelled above me.

I felt different.

Detached.

It all hurt too much. One last breath and I was out.

All that was left before me was my life flashing before my eyes.

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><p><strong>AN: First chapter is pretty short, seeing as it's just an intro into a flash back. Planing on having the second chapter up today.<strong>


	2. First Impressions at GSU

**AN: Woo! Second chapter. Glad to have kept my word :)**

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><p><strong><span>The Riddle of Dissonance<span>**

**Chapter 2: First Impressions at GSU.**

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><p>Getting out of the car, I looked up at the school in front of me. <strong>My<strong> new school. Gotham State University. A smile crept its way up to my lips.

Finally, after all my hard work, the endless nights studying and testing, I made it. My family was always low on money so I knew that my only way here was to work my ass off and get in on a scholarship.

And it worked.

I was here at Gotham State University on a full-ride scholarship for my grades, able to live out my life without fear of my parent's unstable jobs and the ever-growing fear of the money from those unstable jobs running out.

Unloading my bags, I waved my parents off as I walked away from the van. They didn't have that much time to see me off, seeing as their jobs demanded their attention. They were cutting it close already with both of them coming and dropping me off. Mom should have stayed home and made sure she got to work early. I could only imagine Dad racing through the streets just to get her there on time.

Shaking my head, I continued my walk to the dorms, wheeling my luggage in front of me on a dolly. I didn't want to think about them now. All I wanted to do was make my way to my dorm and get some food in my belly.

The dolly in front of me was useful, carrying my luggage for me while I effortlessly wheeled it around. Without it, I'd be lost. I was strong, but definitely not strong enough to get everything up to my room in one run.

Walking down the hall, I counted the numbers on the doors until I got up to room 354. I was finally here. Taking a deep breath, I slowly calmed myself in case my roommate was already here. I wanted to make a good first impression.

Unlocking the door, I wheeled the dolly into the room.

_"Hello!"_ A woman called from inside. She was sitting on her bed and seemed to have just finished painting her nails a nice bright red. Getting up, she extended her dry hand to me with a smile.

_"I'm Harleen Quinzell, but you can just call me Harley. Everyone does. Nice to meet you."_ She happily chimed in as we shook hands.

She had long blonde hair, light blue eyes, long lashes hidden behind glasses, and bright red lips that matched her nails. She looked beautiful. Truthfully, I was a bit jealous. Being an only child, I never had a big sister to help me out with the makeup I could afford to buy and my mom was always too busy, so I was always doomed to failure.

_"Nice to meet you Harley. My name is Abigail Watson, but you can just call me Gail. This is pretty obvious, but I'm your roommate."_ I said with a slight smile. She seemed nice and peppy. It wasn't that bad of a combination.

_"What's your planned major Gail?"_ She questioned as I unloaded my luggage from the dolly.

_"Criminal Justice. I'm actually here on a full-ride scholarship."_ I said as I heard a gasp.

_"Me too! Well, the scholarship part anyway. I have mine in gymnastics. I'm majoring in Psychiatry. I've always been interested in criminals, so maybe we could work together some day."_

I laughed slightly as I sat on my bed, crossing my legs.

_"How interesting. I'll bring the bad guys in, and you'll analyze them. Sounds like a plan."_ We laughed for awhile at this before we slowly calmed ourselves.

Laying back on my bed, I relaxed for a minute before rolling over to look back at Harley.

_"Hey, want to go get something to eat? I forgot to eat breakfast."_ I questioned as her eyes brightened.

_"That sounds amazing right now. I'm starving." _

With a smile, we got up and walked out of the dorm and started heading towards the cafeteria.

We were halfway there until we heard a commotion around the corner of a building. Confused, we looked at each other before we both decided to take a quick peak.

_"Say that again Nashton!"_ a man yelled as we both heard a punch and a groan to follow.

As we looked around the corner, we saw a tall muscular man pinning a slender looking man to the wall. The slender man had glasses, short brown hair slicked back, and a bruise forming on his cheek. There were also two more guys behind the first who was holding up "Nashton".

_"Here, I'll rephrase it for you so that even you may understand. I won't be continuing your homework for you and that goes double for your "Friends". I simply have too much work that needs to be done to be bothered by something as mundane as your—"_ He was in the middle of his rant before he was answered with a kick to the groin.

I gritted my teeth as I watched this monstrous act unfold before me. Back in my high school days, I was bullied for the same reason. Idiots who tried to stream on by in life by wasting my precious time. For a long time, I couldn't defend myself. I trained and trained but when I was finally ready, my bullies were in for a surprise. The same would go for these men.

_"Harley, go get help. I'm going to stop them."_ I whispered to my roommate as she raised an eyebrow at me.

_"Sweetie, no offence, but we're in Gotham. How do you know they won't pull a knife on you?"_ She whispered back as I answered with a smile.

_"I don't, and that's the beauty of it."_

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><p><strong>AN: Planning of switching back and forth between past and present every chapter or so. Thought it'd be more interesting that way.<strong>


	3. Consciousness Returns

**The Riddle of Discordance**

**Chapter 3: Consciousness Returns**

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><p>Air filled my lungs as I jolted up. Before I could comprehend anything, a man pushed me back onto the bed. It was impossible to understand anything. My throat constricted, my tongue was dry. The inside of my mouth tasted horrible. My brain felt like mush. It was awful, absolutely terrible. Nothing seemed to be under my control. I was weak, unable to fend off these men and women who held me down.<p>

I tried to summon up a scream until a familiar voice stopped me.

_"Gail, come on, we're right here. Don't worry, you're safe now."_

Looking around, I met my coworker, Arron Cash's eyes. Relief ran through my body. For a moment, the fear of my previous fight for my life had taken over me with the help of my dehydration.

Helping me sit up, Aaron put a cup to my lips and helped me get some water down. It was pure bliss and it was over too soon.

_"Feeling better?"_ He asked as he kneeled down beside me. Concern showed clearly on his face.

_"Much. Thanks Aaron."_ I muttered as I ran my fingers over the bandages on one arm, then switching hands, I slowly ran my fingers along the bandages of my other arm, and finally made my way over and touched the bandages over my stomach. I could feel the stitches that held me together. It was going to be difficult to move for a while but I knew that I wouldn't have that much time to rest.

_"It was a close one Gail. You have to be careful. As much as we're trying to help these people, you need to look after yourself as well. Without you, who would help our patients get here?"_ He questioned with a smile as I quickly returned it, trying to hide the fear I had only moments before their rescue.

Leaning against the wall by my bed and slowly adjusting myself and my pillows, I was able to maintain a sitting position.

_"I'll be fine Aaron, don't you worry. You should get back to work."_ I motioned slightly to the church around me and he nodded.

_"Call me if you need anything."_ He said, in which I responded with a slight nod before he walked away.

With a sigh, I forced myself to lay back down and pulled my blanket over my head. With the noise of the patients, I knew I wouldn't be heard if I kept my voice low.

Cupping a hand over my ear, I softly whispered into my ear piece, hoping that by cupping my hand, he would be able to hear me better.

_"E, I'm back in."_ I whispered as I closed my eyes, waiting for the response I desperately wanted. I missed him so damn much already. I needed him more than anything. He was the only one who could truly calm me down.

_"Gail! You're back. How are you feeling?"_ I heard through the ear piece. The concern in his voice was the only pain killer I would ever need. With a relieved sigh, I slowly stopped trembling.

_"Got dehydrated along the way but I'm all bandaged up now. Got some stitches in my side but luckily, he didn't cut my arms up that badly, so no stitches there. They didn't have any more painkillers though, so I did faint in the process."_

I whispered back to him, listening closely to both him and the room around me. It was crazy to think of how easy it was to deceive my co-workers. If I was being truthful about my feelings, it was actually quite exhilarating.

_"He will pay for what he—"_

Suddenly, a string of curses was hissed into my ear. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to listen in closer.

_"Hey, what's wrong? Talk to me."_ I whispered as I heard him start panicking.

Truthfully, I only heard him panic like this twice in my life. The first was when he was in the process of losing to the Bat in Arkham Asylum. The second was when I almost put myself in danger during the break out in Arkham Asylum. Seeing as we hadn't even started our attack on the Bat, I assumed that whatever he was freaking out about, it had to do with my safety.

_"Can you move?"_ He quickly replied as I tested the waters a bit by trying to adjust myself under the blanket again. Mild pain shot through my body as I quickly stopped. It was bearable. I could walk and maybe even run if I pushed myself. The only problem was going to be my sides and whether the stitches would tear or not.

_"Possibly. What's wrong? Is something headed my way?"_ I replied back, closing my eyes. Only the worst scenarios could come to mind. Two-Face? Maybe Penguin? I didn't want to imagine what one of them coming in here would do to me.

_"Harley is heading your way at a very fast pace. She'll blow your cover for sure. She knew about your plans to switch sides when we finally got in here. By the time she can tell you haven't switched, your cover will be blown."_ He stated, his mouth barely able to keep up with his mind. I could almost hear his right foot tapping nervously as he tried to quickly get something together to help me. It was a cute nervous twitch I learned about him long ago.

A smile made its way to my lips.

_"E, calm down. She won't."_

_"You don't know—"_ He started before I cut him off.

_"Riddler~, your underestimating her. Don't worry, I got it."_ I replied, elongating his name. The same name I wasn't supposed to be using while in the church. I hoped it would calm him down, to remind him that I was almost done with this facade I had put on for too long. To let him know I would be by his side very soon.

I also prayed he wouldn't be angry at me for using his name in the church. It was under his orders after all that I didn't call him by that name while in here. It made sense though. The letter E could be mistaken as a yawn or a sigh if need be. The Riddler could not.

_"Be careful Gail. Don't do anything unnecessary."_ He replied, slightly softer after hearing his other name used by me.

I smiled again as he didn't grow angry. My fight earlier must have worried him so much that he possibly forgotten... Or at the very least, given up on being angry at me for disobeying orders for the moment.

_"I'll be careful, don't worry."_ I whispered, pulling myself up to a sitting position as the door bust open.

_"Hands above your head and get on the ground!"_ A man yelled as other men swarmed inside. Three shots fired off as everyone quickly followed their instructions.

Raising my hands up slowly, I lowered myself to my knees. My legs started shaking as I gasped in pain. My side was killing me. I couldn't keep this position up for long.

_"Good job boys! Mistah J will be veeery~ happy with how quickly we took this here church."_ I heard the familiar voice echo off the walls of the church with its usual sing-song tone.

Looking up, I saw Harley enter the church.


	4. The Odd Pair

**AN: Woo! Chapter four! Glad to be making it this far :) Hope everyone likes it so far.**

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><p><strong> <span>The Riddle of Discordance<span>**

**Chapter 4: The Odd Pair**

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><p><em>"You're insane!"<em> Nashton yelled as we all entered the cafeteria. A few people looked our way before he took the hint and quieted himself.

_"I prefer the word compulsive."_ I said with a smile and a shrug as we all sat down. Harley laughed in response as I leaned back slightly in my chair.

_"Why are you angry? We stopped them."_ I muttered before I took a sip of my water, raising an eyebrow at the man across from me.

_"I had it under control."_ He grumbled as he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

_"Under control? You call that back there under control?"_ I laughed slightly as I rolled my eyes.

_"I'd like to see out of control."_ Harley chimed as she joined in with my laughter.

_"Tch, I had plans… Someone was supposed to be there."_ He sighed again as he looked around.

_"More specifically, that incompetent fool over there."_ He nodded towards a man walking towards our table. He was lean, had reddish brown hair in a scraggly mess, and bluish grey eyes hidden behind square glasses. He wore a red sweater vest over his white button up and had brown dress pants on.

_"Don't tell me you were scared while I was gone Edward. I had some business to take care of."_ He said as he sat down at the table as well.

_"And you are?"_ I questioned the man as he replied with a soft smile.

_"Jonathan Crane. Just call me Jon though. This is my roommate, Edward Nashton. You must be the girls who beat those men up."_ He said with a slightly stiffer smile, almost forced.

_"That would be us!"_ Harley chimed in happily.

_ "I'm Gail, and this is Harley. She was supposed to get help while I stalled."_ I said with a sigh as I hung my head slightly.

_"Not my fault! I couldn't let you have all the fun. I wanted to help to!"_ Harley said as she bounced slightly in her seat.

_"I'm not saying you weren't useful… But it would've been much safer to get a teacher so they would've backed up our story. Getting into a fight on the first day of school isn't smart. They could easily twist the story making us look like the bad guys Harley."_ I said with an even bigger sigh. First day of school and I could already get in big trouble for a fight.

_"I wouldn't worry about them if I were you."_ Jon said with a mischievous smile as he glanced at Edward.

_"What're you talking—"_ I started before he held up a hand.

_"I did say I was busy, didn't I? Rumor is after that fight, they're quite scared of you two. I talked to them and they have no plans of taking this to authorities, teachers, or anyone for that matter."_ He said as he was trying to hold back an even bigger smile.

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked over Jon. Something about what he said was off.

_"Sorry about him. He has this… Thing. He can scare anyone just by talking to them. Made this one man break down crying once."_ Edward chimed in.

_"But isn't that—"_ I started before I was suddenly cut off.

_"You're not doing much different than me Gail."_ Jon muttered as my eyebrows furrowed.

_"You attacked those men to intimidate them. Intimidation is just another sort of fear. You did it for the same reason I did it. To protect Edward. Are we really so different? I only did mine in a non-violent way."_ Jon explained as I took a while to contemplate what he said.

He was right. All we were doing was stopping bullies. There was nothing wrong with what happened.

_"Now, about that cut."_ Jon stated as my eyes widened. I didn't think anyone noticed. I played it off so well, hiding it with the sweater that was tied around my waste.

_"Wait, what?"_ Harley started before Edward cut in.

_"You got hurt?!"_ Edward suddenly exclaimed as his eyes widened.

_"Shh, keep it down will you? It was just a scratch. He nicked me with his knife. I couldn't dodge in time."_ I muttered as I looked away slightly.

_"Those idiots. They will pay for—"_ Edward was saying before he got cut off.

_"Your arm please Gail."_ Jon said as he extended his hand. Taking off my sweater, I extended my arm so he could examine it.

Taking my arm in his grip, he gently turned it so he could examine it better. He gazed intensely at my wound as his eyebrows furrowed.

_"Are you afraid of blood Gail?"_ He questioned as with one hand, he took off his glasses before his intense gaze shifted towards me.

_"I only ask because... You see, you're shaking."_ He finished as his eyes bore right into mine, a slight smile illuminating his face all the while.

_"Sorry, the fight must have shaken me up is all."_ I responded, gently pulling my arm out of his grip. Something about him unnerved me.

Suddenly, Edward elbowed Jon in the side as Jon made a weird squeak in reply, rubbing where he was hit.

_"Sorry about him. He gets carried away sometimes."_ Edward said with a smile and a tentative laugh before looking back at Jon as he put his glasses back on.

_"Yes, sorry about that. Anyway, what I was going to say is that you should get that cleaned up and bandaged. Don't want an infection, now do we?"_ Jon stated as he started to stand up.

_"Actually, how about you come over to our place? It's the least I could do for you guys for helping me back there. We can clean it and bandage it for you." _Edward quickly stated before glaring at Jon.

_"Right Jon?"_ He questioned as Jon only raised an eyebrow. It looked like Edward was about to elbow him again before he finally gave in.

_"Of course, of course… Just as long as you don't mess anything up in my—"_

_"Jon!"_ Edward exclaimed as Jon seemed to bite his tongue.

_"Are you sure? I don't wish to intrude."_ I replied back before Jon smiled again.

_"Please, I insist." _Jon said as I nodded slightly.

I was curious though... How did he know I got cut since it was hidden under my sleeve? The only other way he could have found out was either by looking at the bloody knife that one of the men had, which was unlikely because he put it back in his pocket, or by seeing it happen.


	5. An Old Reunion

**AN: Just thought I'd let everyone know that it's gonna be a bit slower to add chapters to my stories due to school starting up and adding another story to my list. On another note, I'm planning on redoing my Borderlands story and creating a Sherlock story so if your into that, keep an eye open :P Okay, that's all :) Enjoy the story.**

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><p><span><strong>The Riddle of Discordance<strong>

**Chapter 5: An Old Reunion**

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><p>Walking around the church, Harley started to investigate the people on my team one by one, slowly making her way around the room while some of her thugs went upstairs, carrying boxes behind them.<p>

Harley pursed her lips as she glared at a woman just a few feet away from me before she broke into a joyous smile.

_"Boys~, I believe the doc has an appointment with Mistah J! Can't be late, now can we?"_ She said with a giggle as she turned around. She almost completely missed me until she stopped mid-turn, her eyebrows furrowing in the process.

I could read it on her face. She wasn't adding things up. I was supposed to be out of here and with the Riddler, not here in the church keeping up my Arkham guard façade.

Raising an eyebrow, I could see questions formulating in her mind as she drew her breath. It almost seemed to take place in slow motion. My heart was racing. I never did seem to catch a break around here.

_"What are you planning on doing with the doctor Ms. Quinzel?"_ I questioned, interrupting her thoughts, trying my best to put up a formal front to help her understand my situation.

_"It's Quinn. Harley Quinn. Also, Mistah J needs her."_ She stated with a bit of a huff and with a slight pout. _"He's not the same you see."_

My eyebrow twitched as she seemed to start getting more personal. This wouldn't be something she'd just tell a random guard. It's something she'd say to someone close or the bat. I needed to divert the conversation.

_"Huh, you'd think he'd be fine with just abusing you. Guess he needs another blonde to—"_ I started to say until I was met with the back of her hand and then hit the cold hard floor. It was a horrible topic to bring up, known to be taboo by our group of friends, but she needed to treat me like someone she hated. I just needed to be gentle with it so I wouldn't end up dead.

Behind me I heard Cash attempt to put up a bit of a struggle to help before one of Harley's thugs smack him with the butt of his rifle. He hit the ground hard. I slowly tried to catch my breath before I struggled back up to my knees, only to be met with another smack to the face.

_"If I remember correctly hon, I'm not the only one who had an abusive boyfriend. What was the name of that ex you had?"_ She stated bitterly as my eyes suddenly flashed open. Rage burned inside me like a fire and begged to be unleashed. I wanted to tear her from shred to shred for that remark.

Taking a few deep breaths, I attempted to regain my composure. I was the one who started the conversation so I should have been ready for the repercussions. I brought it on myself.

_"Enjoying the switch of our roles Harl? You being the guard and me being the prisoner? Tell me, when do I get my one phone call?"_ I said with a fake smile. _"Or are you just going to continue beating me up?"_

Suddenly, understanding started to dawn on her face as she finally grasped the situation. It was all just an act.

Smiling, she grabbed her bat and motioned to her men.

_"Oh boys, could you please help Ms. Watson up? We simply have too much to get ready to be side tracked. I'll have to teach her manners while we prepare for bat-brain~."_ She swung the bat over her shoulder and strut towards the stairs before it felt like my arms were being yanked out of my sockets. They dragged me along behind them and swung the door shut after me.

Once out of earshot, Harley quickly spun around and helped me stand and lean against the wall despite my protests.

_"God, are you alright Gail? You're supposed to be out of here!"_ She exclaimed as I took a few moments to try and overcome the pain from some of the wounds on my arms reopening. My eyebrows furrowed as I glared at her. There was so much I wanted to yell at her about. Mentions of my ex, the pain she caused me, or even the pain her goons caused me but only one thing was on my mind.

_"You said the bat was coming? Forget me, get preparations ready. I need to make a call."_ I said as I walked to a different corner and sat down before contacting Riddler as she ran upstairs.

_"Riddler, I'm fine now, don't worry. We have other problems to deal with. The Bat is here in the city."_ I said and waited but I was only met with silence.

_"Riddler? You there?"_ I questioned the silence.

_"Heh, let him come then. Let him find my challenges. Let it be proven that I, The Riddler, am in fact, smarter than a bat."_ He said in his usual cocky voice he used while talking to or about Batman. I was used to the change in the voice by now though. It was a normal occurrence while dealing with him.

Others often got annoyed by his usual "I'm better than you" tone and personality… but not me. If anything, that charmed me more than it should have.

_"Is everything set up for our plans?"_ I asked him as I messed with my arms. Noticing some spots of blood seeping through the bandages, I made a mental note to change them again later.

_"Of course! I have just the thing to bend your little friend Eddie Burlow to my will."_ He stated happily as I smiled.

_"Good, I can't wait. In other news, I'm not supposed to be far away for long. People may get suspicious. Give the bat hell for me. I can't wait to see you soon. Talk to you later."_ I said before struggling to stand up before giving up and leaning on the wall.

_"Hey, Harley, better burry our friendship for now. I'm expected back with bruises."_


End file.
